Take that Look Off Your Face
by Lara Hillins
Summary: Ginny is faced with Lavender and Pansy gossiping and thinking Harry's cheating when Harry's sneaking around to see new friends and using ministry events abroad to cover them up. Is she able to convince them that he's been faithful all along?


You must be mistaken,  
It couldn't have been  
You couldn't have seen him yesterday.  
He's doing some deal up in Baltimore now,  
I hate it when he's away.

"I'm telling you Ginny, I saw Harry in town yesterday, heading to some fancy hotel to meet someone from what I could see." Lavender insisted, talking to the red-haired woman as they caught the train to work together, working across the road from each other when Ginny wasn't touring with the Holyhead Harpies.

Ginny grinned, wondering how certain her friend could be about this. "And I'm saying you must be mistaken. He's gone to America for some meeting between the aurors of the countries. I hate it but he's gone there for a week or two. They don't seem to know how long this will take, because the training and further negotiations on international teamwork is happening while he's there."

You must be mistaken, I'm sure that you are.  
There's more than one car with stickers on  
And lots of young guys wear corduroy pants,  
And I'd know if he hadn't gone.

"It was his car, I know it was." Lavender was carrying on the conversation from that morning, still insistent that she'd seen Ginny's husband. "It was even his fashion sense that the guy was wearing. He didn't go Ginny, and is lying to you."

"Lots of people have that make of car, Lavender. Ron even has one in the exact same colour. Are you sure you didn't just see my brother? George's latest prank changes your hair colour too, before you say it was definitely black hair. Have you tried those sweets out yet?" Ginny tried distracting the other woman, long since aware that Lavender still held a flame for Ron, even if she was dating Seamus currently.

"No but I wouldn't want to lose my beautiful blonde, Ginny, you know that." Lavender looked affronted at the idea. "Harry was definitely who I saw. That birds nest hair is unmistakeable."

"And of course it cannot be imitated by simply doing this." Ginny said sarcastically, messing her hair up on the top of her head so she knew it looked just as messy as her husbands. It did help a bit that she had taken to keeping her hair short to stop it from blinding her during windy flying days.

"Oh fine. I might be mistaken, but I'm sure I saw him yesterday." Lavender looked like a stropping child, but Ginny just grinned at her.

Take that look off your face.  
I can see through your smile.  
You would love to be right.  
I bet you didn't sleep good last night,  
Couldn't wait to bring all of that bad news to my door.  
Well, I've got news for you: I knew before.

"Lavender tells me Harry was in town two days ago. I'm sure you said that was when he was meant to be in America at the conference thing." Parkinson started, smirking at Ginny.

Ginny just glowered a little, knowing from experience that taunting back to her teammate caused large arguments if it happened before they had finished practise. "Take that look off your face Pansy, dear. Lavender was telling me the same thing yesterday and I can assure you it was a mistake of hers, assuming she saw him when he wasn't around." She said sweetly, turning to head back to the ground as their coach called practise to an end.

Pansy shrugged, following anyway, but not relenting on her argument. "She sounded pretty certain of it to me. Are you certain Harry is faithful to you Ginny, dear. I should just hate to see you cheated on by your husband?" Pansy's feigned concern grated upon Ginny's nerves, but she still smiled.

"I knew before that he was there, especially since he insisted on my placing a tracking charm on him until he was there, just to ensure I didn't worry about the continental apparition being too much of a strain for him to manage without splinching himself." She replied calmly, calculating the chances of somebody else trying to bring that bad news to her. "You really want to be right about this, don't you? Did you get enough sleep last night, or were you practising how to care if I got hurt by Harry appearing to cheat from Lavender's view?"

"I just want to be your friend and team mate Ginny. Why are you so suspicious of me?" Pansy laughed, knowing she'd been caught but acting innocent anyway. She let Ginny turn the conversation away from it then, but planned to do some more snooping to prove herself right, whether that meant supporting something Lavender Brown said or not.

If I'm not mistaken, It started last year  
I'm not very clear how it began.  
I noticed a change but I just closed my eyes,  
As only a woman can.

"Fine!" Ginny half yelled after Hermione had just pointed out that Harry had left a day early for America during their girly lunch in a muggle café which Ron would get lost trying to find. "I think it started last year, Hermione. Harry goes to visit a friend he doesn't think we'd let him be friends with, and considering Ron he's right to hide it."

Hermione stared for a moment. "Who is this friend? How do you know?" She asked, wanting to know whatever things Ginny hadn't been telling her.

Ginny smiled, a little sadly, then explained. "Harry's made friends with Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini, quite close friends from what I can tell. I know because Harry mentioned it to me once that he'd meet them only when he was meant to be going somewhere for work at that time, and might stay over at their flat to keep the cover that I hadn't seen him since he left. Don't ask how it began because I don't know." Her gaze turned pleading as she watched Hermione's reaction. "Please don't tell anybody, especially Harry that I've told you this Hermione."

"I won't but why haven't you asked him more?" Hermione asked, her curiousity showing.

"Because I just wanted to close my eyes as women can do, especially when pushing Harry about it could push him away. You know how Harry can get if he thinks you're not being supportive when you want to make sure he's safe."

Hermione nodded, smiling, "He can get like that sometimes, but never as badly as Ron can, and you know that." She agreed.

No, I didn't dig deep.  
I did not want to know.  
Well, you don't interfere  
When you're scared of the things you might hear.

When he's back you think

I would end it right there and then  
Well, my fair weather friend,  
You're wrong again.

"Are you going to ask Harry about it then?" Pansy demanded as soon as practise was over.

_Merlin, Harry's only been back home for a day. _Ginny thought, glaring at her teammate. "Of course not. I thought we settled this, Lavender was just mistaking some stranger for Harry. There's nothing to confront him about.

"I'll have you know I did some checks of who Lavender saw, using those lovely useful security cameras at the hotel she saw Harry heading into. That was most certainly Potter she saw, not some look alike." Pansy declared proudly.

Ginny frowned. "So you think I should end it right there and then? I'm not going to interfere, especially when it's unlikely Harry would react well to thinking I've been spying on him. Besides I knew already where he was, the fact you don't and didn't shows just how clever you really are dear."

"But he's sneaking around without telling you where he's going, using ministry work taking him abroad as an excuse to creep out and meet people you don't know about." Pansy insisted, not hearing what Ginny meant.

"He was meeting friends he doesn't get to see very often, and staying at their place for the 2 nights he was supposedly in America before he went. I'm not going to try interfering with guys chatting, hell knows what you might hear from listening in to that. They might even talk about you and small things that annoy them occasionally about you. Can you imagine how paranoid that could make you?" Ginny ranted as they left the changing rooms, going for dramatics because she knew Pansy would expect it after the supposedly new news that had been handed to her.

A laugh came from behind her. "Have I been caught out Ginny?" Harry asked when she turned around with Pansy.

"Nah, Pansy dear and Lavender are more convinced you're cheating on me since Lavender spotted you heading to that hotel for drinks the day after I'd said you'd gone to America. How was everything, Honey?" Ginny asked comfortably, knowing she'd have to mention Hermione once they'd left the other girls behind.

Harry frowned, "There had been some sort of argument between the pair, so I got stuck in the middle. It was almost like being back at Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione but I wasn't waiting for them to start shagging and stop arguing."

"Sounds bad, let's head home and you can tell me all about it. Then I should tell you about the gossip Pansy and Lavender have come up with, and Hermione's latest questions." Ginny suggested happily, please to have Harry back.

"Tell me the truth next time, Ginny dear. Gryffindor's suck at hiding things." Pansy called.

Ginny laughed, already walking away with Harry, "Sure thing, but you'll only be wrong again. Go get some good sleep without laughing all night at having bad news for me."

"Good thing my friends are Slytherin's then." Harry whispered to Ginny as they walked, chuckling at Pansy's assumption that Gryffindor's couldn't hide things if they wanted to.

Take that look off your face!  
I can see through your smile.  
You would love to be right.  
I bet you didn't sleep good last night,  
Couldn't wait to bring all of that bad news to my door.  
Well, I've got news for you  
I knew before.

"SO? Was it him?" Lavender asked sulkily the next morning. "Pans told me it was. Are you going to admit I was right yet?"

Ginny nodded. "Yes you were right, Harry was in town when you saw him. He'd decided to visit some friends of his before going away. Apparently it wasn't the best of visits for him, but he managed it."

"He isn't cheating on you?" Lavender sounded a little upset at the lack of drama she was hearing about.

Ginny couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Unless they've managed to turn him gay then no, Harry cheating on me is the last of my worries. Pansy knows that as well before you jump to spread gossip with her next. For two people who are meant to annoy each other to bits you work together a lot. I hope you can sleep better now that any bad news you thought you had to bring to me has gone or should have, at least."

"We Do Not Work Together!" Lavender protested vehemently, glaring at Ginny as though she'd committed sacrilege. Ginny sighed, happy she's gotten around the last friend who had been snooping so easily.

Take that look off your face

I can see through your smile.  
You would love to be right.  
I bet you didn't sleep good last night,  
Couldn't wait to bring all of that bad news to my door.  
Well, I've got news for you  
I knew before!

"So, Harry's become friends with Draco and Blaise! I met him when I was around their house yesterday." Pansy delivered the news as though it was a major development.

Ginny looked nonplussed. "Barging in without knocking as usual then?" She asked dryly.

"Aren't you even bothered that he's sneaking around visiting his high school enemy?"

The chaser shrugged, "Another sleepless night I take it. Telling me you saw my husband at the house of Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini must have kept you awake."

"Are you sure you're sane Ginny dear? I just gave you some news that must be shocking and you're acting like it's nothing." Pansy acted caring, as usual whenever she thought she was giving Ginny some bad news.

Ginny nodded. "Haven't you realised my news yet? I knew before that Harry was friends with them, and didn't want anyone to face the scorn which can come from the saviour doing something the media argues with, like consorting with people who took the mark, as Draco is, or being connected to someone like Zabini's mother."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Pansy demanded stropping, acting as though it was a travesty to hide anything from her.

"Because she is good at keeping secrets. She only told you because you didn't stick around for longer than 5 minutes after you saw I was there." Harry's voice came from behind them. "Draco asked me to tell you to knock next time and pop around tomorrow. See you around."

Ginny nodded once more at Pansy. "See you tomorrow, we have a date to head to now."

Ginny grinned as she walk off hand in hand with her Harry. It was a good day when she could get one over on Pansy. The other girl tried too hard to find bad news for Ginny.

Take that look off your face.  
I can see through your smile.  
You would love to be right.  
I bet you didn't sleep good last night,  
Couldn't wait to bring all of that bad news to my door.  
Well, I've got news for you: I knew before


End file.
